Hertzog: The future is now for early risers Spring-Ford, Perkiomen Valley

The last 10 years of girls basketball in the Pioneer Athletic Conference has been richly successful. With two PIAA championship teams, two state finalists and four District 1 championship squads, that’s a run of excellence by any measure.

The achievements aren’t just from one school either. Yes, Spring-Ford’s imprint on those totals are greatest, but Boyertown and Perkiomen Valley have also had terrific teams with the hardware to prove it.

Viewed through a wider lens, it was as if there was an unspoken torch-passing between programs from one star-powered team with a strong supporting cast to another ensuring a PAC team was pushing for regional and state prominence.

Those great players and teams became the storyline – and throughline – for the PAC sport that in recent times has made the biggest impact on a district and state level.

Spring-Ford’s superb three-year run from 2012-14 featured back-to-back District 1 championships (2012-13), a PIAA championship (2013) and state final appearance the following year coinciding with the standout career of undersized guard Sammy Stipa, who went on to be a three-year starter at Division I Lafayette.

Perk Valley then took the torch and captured a District 1 title in 2016 while being led by senior KT Armstrong, who last weekend reached 1,000 career points in college as a Seton Hall grad student (after playing undergrad at Fairfield), and sophomore twin towers Megan Jonassen and Taylor Hamm, who are presently having strong senior seasons at Fordham and University of the Sciences, respectively.

Boyertown was up next with its magical run to the PIAA crown in 2017 made possible by Abby Kapp, a three-year starter and two-time All-Patriot League selection at Bucknell (2021 graduate), dubbed the ‘queen of clutch’ for her postseason greatness.

Spring-Ford regained the mantle in the years since with star guard Lucy Olsen, the PAC’s No. 2 all-time leading scorer and two-time All-State first team selection, leading the program on an upward trajectory culminating in last season’s District 1 title and PIAA finals appearance.

But with Olsen now at Villanova as the Wildcats’ starting point guard and no longer dominating the PAC landscape, the door opened on the narrative bigger picture of PAC girls basketball.

So with a clean slate for the 2021-22 season, the question begged, ‘What now?’

If Wednesday night tells the tale, the future is.

It was hard to view things any other way in the PAC championship game between Perkiomen Valley and host Spring-Ford where 70 percent of the starting lineups – four Rams and three Vikings – were underclassmen.

On one bench it was a Perkiomen Valley freshmen class with five key contributors – Bella Bacani, Quinn Boettinger, Grace Miley, Julia Smith and Lena Stein – that came to the support of three-year senior starters Jen Beattie and Emma Miley and elevated the team back into the championship mix.

On the opposite side, with only one senior and one junior on the roster – Kam Pufko and Meg Robbins, respectively – Spring-Ford’s sophomore class led by guards Anna Azzara (14 points) and Mac Pettinelli (10 points) – both crunch-time players in the Rams’ PIAA final run in 2021 – fellow starters Katie Tiffan and Siena Miller plus sub Aaliyah Solliday (11 points) have been the architects of the Rams maintaining the program’s lofty levels.

That now includes a record fifth consecutive PAC championship after Spring-Ford defeated Perkiomen Valley 43-36 in a back-and-forth battle in Wednesday’s title game.

“The way they’ve practiced all year and the way they’ve approached everyday, we’re not surprised by the level they’re playing at,” said Spring-Ford head coach Mickey McDaniel. “Did we know we’d be in the championship game? No, we did not know that.

“Energy and effort have to come from within and they’re their own policing of that and that really helps you become more successful than what some might think you could be based on your youth.”

The volume of play and specialization amid the youth sports explosion has its pros and cons, but it’s hard to argue the younger players on display in the PAC final are more ready for the varsity moments because of it.

“These kids have played a lot of basketball, especially the ones that have committed to it as their (primary) sport. Some are playing 10-12 months and they are learning the game just by playing,” said McDaniel.

The book isn’t complete on the 2021-22 season and the final storyline may yet be topped by a Methacton team led by senior guard Nicole Timko who is closing on the program’s all-time scoring record, that enters the District 1-6A tournament as the No. 3 seeds.

But watching the early arrivals of the Rams and Vikings’ kids on the championship stage had the feeling of a rivalry for the present and future.

“It feels like this is always going to be a huge game,” said Pettinelli. “PV is always a big rival even if it’s not the biggest game. But I think we’re going to have a good challenge with them and Methacton through the years ahead.”

Perkiomen Valley second-year coach John Russo saw tons of promise from early on this year after going 8-7 in his debut season. The battles in the preseason informed what was to come.

While it didn’t include a PAC championship, the vision is to get a few more cracks at it.

“This stings because I wanted Emma and Jen to get what they deserve – they’ve had fantastic seasons and careers – but it feels like we’re not going anywhere,” said Russo.

“But they’re not going anywhere either. They’re well coached, great kids, tremendous basketball players. But we feel we’re just as good as them.”

There’s no telling what the future of this season and beyond hold for the Rams and Vikings’ programs.

But it’s certainly nice to have a head start.

Austin Hertzog is the Sports Editor of the Mercury. Email him at ahertzog@pottsmerc.com